University of Texas leadership releases a statement on the trash-throwing incident at DKR
University of Texas board of regents chairman Kevin Eltife, UT president Jay Hartzell, and Texas Longhorns athletic director Chris Del Conte released a statement Sunday morning in response to UT fans throwing trash onto the field following a controversial pass interference call that created a delay in the third quarter.
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While we deeply appreciate the passion and loyalty of our fan base at The University of Texas at Austin, we do not condone the unsportsmanlike conduct that was exhibited by some individuals throwing objects onto the field during last night’s game and sincerely apologize to the University of Georgia players, coaches, and fans, as well as the Southeastern Conference and officiating crew. This type of behavior will not be tolerated.
Respect, sportsmanship, and fairness are the values that drive our program, and we expect all of our fans to uphold these standards. We are committed to fostering a positive environment for all participants, teams, officials, and fans, and we will take steps to ensure that this type of behavior does not happen again.
We appreciate the support of Longhorn Nation and are confident that, moving forward, we will continue to represent our university with pride and respect.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
The trash was thrown onto the field in response to a pass interference penalty assessed against Jahdae Barron. Barron intercepted Carson Beck and returned the ball to the Georgia 9-yard line, but the play was undone by a penalty.
In response to a universally derided call, Steve Sarkisian and Texas fans were livid. The student section began throwing trash onto the field, creating a delay in the game. During that delay, the officiating crew decided to reverse the call and award possession to Texas.
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The Longhorns would score and convert a two-point try to make it 23-15.
The SEC offered the following explanation after the game.
Here was the SEC’s explanation.
With 3:12 to play in the third quarter of the Georgia at Texas game, Texas intercepted a pass at the Texas 46-yard line and returned it to the Texas 9 yard line. Texas was flagged for committing defensive pass interference on the play which resulted in Georgia maintaining the ball with a first down.
The game officials gathered to discuss the play, which is permitted to ensure the proper penalty is enforced, at which time the calling official reported that he erred, and a foul should not have been called for defensive pass interference. Consequently, Texas was awarded the ball at the Texas 9 yard line.
While the original evaluation and assessment of the penalty was not properly executed, it is unacceptable to have debris thrown on the field at any time.
The disruption of the game due to debris being thrown onto the field will be reviewed by the Conference office related to SEC sportsmanship policies and procedures.
Here was Kirby Smart’s viewpoint.
“He just said the guy got it wrong,” Smart shared with reporters in his postgame press conference when asked what he had been told by officials. “The guy called it on the wrong guy, which it took him a long time to realize that.”
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The Longhorns will likely await a monetary fine and hope Texas fans keep litter off Campbell-Williams Field ahead of the next home game against Florida on November 9.
